Film

Sydney Sweeney looks unrecognisable as lesbian boxer Christy Martin

Jul 22
Written by Amelia Hansford

Sydney Sweeney looks unrecognisable in new photos on the set of ‘Christy’. (Getty)

Sydney Sweeney looks unrecognisable in new photos on the set of 'Christy'. (Getty)

Sydney Sweeney looks completely unrecognisable in newly released photos for the upcoming biopic on lesbian boxing legend Christy Martin.

Christy will follow the life of the former WBC super welterweight champion, known as the Coal Miner’s Daughter.

The new images, shared by the Toronto International Film Festival, show the Euphoria star with short, dark, shaggy hair, wearing boxing gear.

Revealing the hard work she had to endure to match the boxer’s physique, Sweeney said it took “three-and-a-half months of training” to gain more than 30lbs for the role. Martin’s career stretched from 1989 until 2012 and she was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020 – the first year women were allowed in.

@pinknews
A first official look at Sydney Sweeney depicting lesbian boxing champion Christy Martin in the forthcoming biopic ‘Christy’ has been released. Toronto International Film Festival has released a striking image of the ‘Euphoria’ star in the ring, after Sweeney ditched her signature blonde hair and undertook intense training to transform her body for the role. The ‘first look’ photo follows Sweeney’s recent claims she “loved every part” of depicting the queer athlete. #sydneysweeney #christymartin #boxing #lesbiansoftiktok #filmtok #lgbtqia
♬ Illegal – PinkPantheress

“I started eating. I weight-trained in the morning for an hour, kick-boxed [at] midday for about two hours then weight-trained again at night for an hour,” Sweeney said.

“I didn’t fit in any of my clothes. I’m usually a size 23 in jeans and I was wearing a size 27. My boobs got bigger and my butt got huge. It was crazy. It was amazing. I was so strong, crazy strong.”

She has previously called Martin an “incredible woman” and a “true champion who fought battles both inside and outside the ring,” and said she “loved every part” of playing her.

Martin is considered one of the most successful women boxers in US history and is credited with putting the women’s sport on the map. She won 49 of her 59 bouts, 31 by a knock-out, and was promoted by the legendary Don King, whose other clients included Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman.

Christy, which also stars Love Lies Bleeding’s Katy O’Brian, is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.